Black tie not optional.

Customers visiting The Columbia Bank's Ellicott City, Md. branch one day in late October may have thought they had stumbled onto a formal wedding. That's because the bank staff all wore formal gowns and dresses and black tie tuxedos.

"The formal dress was our way of getting the attention of our customers, so they could focus on the important need for formal financial planning," said Del Karfonta, Executive Vice President of Retail Banking. "We did something a little bit out of the norm, which is sometimes needed to convince busy consumers to stop, and address a situation that is really important."

Customers were invited to spend fifteen minutes with a professional financial advisor, in order to receive a free and customized financial profile. More than 50 customers made appointments, and based on the success of the program, Karfonta says it will be repeated at different branches throughout Columbia Bank's network--which includes 24 offices throughout the Baltimore/Washington Corridor.